Captain Nemo_ The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius - Kevin J Anderson [150]
Nemo meant to avenge the hapless meteorologist . . . somehow. Robur had much to atone for.
Torn by even greater political strife back in Ankara, Caliph Robur had threatened further executions. He insisted that Nemo’s team work to complete the construction as fast as humanly possible. Nemo held the stubborn man’s bloodlust at bay only by emphasizing how the loss of more good workers would cause further delays.
Nemo had grown cold inside, feeling the guilt on his conscience, no matter how much Auda tried to soothe him. He had lost an innocent comrade because of this warlord’s mad ambitions. Any enthusiasm he’d had for the project had been killed with the same scimitar that had murdered Conseil. Even after such a long time at Rurapente, Nemo had never accepted his fate, had never believed in the caliph’s barbarous ambitions. But he would have to do something soon.
The Nautilus functioned perfectly. Once Nemo had demonstrated the vessel’s capabilities, Robur could easily convince his Sultan of its necessity. All political power would shift. With such a clear triumph over conservative Caliph Barbicane, Robur would once again become a favorite in the Sultan’s court.
Nemo knew the warlord would never keep his promises of rewarding his captive experts with freedom, though. He could see it in Robur’s dark, calculating eyes.
His twenty-five remaining engineers were already aboard the Nautilus, a full crew. Food and supplies had been stored in the sub-marine’s chambers. The men had said farewell to their families, because Robur had announced his intention to explore the Mediterranean on this trial voyage. Accompanied by his most trusted guards, the caliph meant to be gone for a full week.
At the edge of the docks, Caliph Robur sat on his stallion as if he intended to bring his big horse aboard the vessel. When the warlord saw Nemo walking toward the launch site under escort, he dismounted and handed the reins to a servant. He motioned to a troop of white-robed guards who climbed through the hatch down into the armored sub-marine. Smiling above his pointed beard, Robur stood proudly beside Nemo, congratulating his chief engineer. Nemo wanted to spit at him.
“We will now depart and explore the realm beneath the seas,” Robur shouted for all the gathered workers to hear. “We will journey into unknown territories, and when I return, all of the Ottoman Empire -- in fact, the entire world -- will know the power and terror of this invincible warship. The Turks shall once again be masters of the Mediterranean.”
Nemo scanned the slaves and workers. Though they cheered on cue, many seemed agitated in a strange way. The warlord remained oblivious to the changed mood -- Robur had never heeded the feelings or motivations of the people who were forced to serve him.
Then, even in his red haze of resentment, a relieved grin broke across Nemo’s face as he recognized beautiful, long-haired Auda pushing through the crowd. He’d known she would come. His wife clutched little Jules’s hand in her own and made her way to the dock. In her other hand, she grasped a bouquet of flowers.
“Wait!” she called in Turkish. “I must give these to my husband. It is a tradition from his home country.”
The guards let her pass, and she hurried forward. After years of knowing Auda so well, Nemo could read the concern in her sepia eyes. “Take these flowers, my husband,” she said, using French this time. While Robur could still understand her, the guards could not. “Put them in your stateroom and think of me on your journey.”
Then she bowed formally to the caliph himself, though her eyes remained as hard as flint. “It is my way of offering prayers to Allah,” she said. “A gift of beauty for my husband.”
Robur gruffly nodded to her. “Take the flowers from your woman, Engineer,